Kazakhstan to retain its linseed market position in the new season

Linseed is the main oil crop in Kazakhstan, and its acreage has expanded dramatically in the last 13 years – from 13 Th ha to 1.5 Ml ha. Among other factors, linseed production increases due to more stable yields in recent years.

Kazakhstan’s linseed crop has been exceeding 1 MMT since three years ago, making it possible to annually export over 400 KMT of the commodity.

Despite falling export shipments for two consecutive seasons, Kazakhstan is one of the world’s major linseed exporters – it was the third biggest supplier in 2020 with a market share of 25%.

Traditionally, the bulk of linseed exports from Kazakhstan (over half their total volume) go to EU countries. However, the Chinese market, which was opened as recently as last season, successfully competes for available Kazakh linseed.

The y-o-y rise in exports is almost 86% (93 KMT vs. 50 KMT in MY 2019/20). China’s export share this season (September-March) grew to 33% vs. 23% in MY 2019/20, UkrAgroConsult reports.

In MY 2021/22, Kazakhstan will continue to fulfill its program of oilseeds output expansion. Their acreage is expected to exceed 3 Ml ha (2.9 Ml ha in 2020).